The Other Side Of Morning
by Kat Kingsman
Summary: AU after 1X10. Beth heads to the bank not knowing she was about to walk into a hostage situation that would forever change her life. MickXBeth JosefXSarah
1. Prologue: Dreams

Title: The Other Side of Morning

Fandom: Moonlight

Genre: Romance/Drama

Rating: T to M

Pairings: Mick/Beth, Josef/Sarah

Spoilers: through 1X10 "Sleeping Beauty"

Summery: AU after 1X10. Beth heads to the bank not knowing she was about to walk into a hostage situation that would forever change her life.

Disclaimer: all I own is a stuffed unicorn…please don't sue and take my unicorn away…/sniffle/

AN: more moonlight? Why of course good people, of course!

And a Beth Turning fic no less…I don't intend to make the transition a cake walk for her either…

* * *

Prologue: Dreams 

_When at long last the darkness breaks_

_In the quiet of usual places_

_Let the striking clock sound _

_A tempo heart races_

Beth could feel her body dying, her racing heart trying to pump the rapidly decreasing volume of blood. She could see the people around her, though the surroundings and faces were unfamiliar to her. They were speaking, Beth could see their mouths moving to form words, but there was no sound.

_When courage comes unheeded_

_Between two steps before_

_And the Endgame seems hopeless_

_To fall to dark once more_

Her breath was coming in shallow pants and Beth could feel the terror begin to creep up on her as breathing became more difficult. Vainly she searched for Mick's face in the crowd of people around her. Where was he? She didn't want to die with out seeing him again. She didn't want to die. Her vision was becoming spotty but she kept looking for him, calling for him, even as the taste of blood choked her.

_When seven shades of red_

_Are all they have to hold_

_There are choices yet unchosen_

_And forgiveness to be told._

Her vision had gone completely grey now as her heart labored to pump the too-thin blood but, Beth could hear again. The voices were distant and disjointed the words making no sense. Where was Mick? Why wasn't he here? Maybe it was best if he wasn't here to see this. Beth didn't want him to have to watch her die. Terror had given way to desperation, desperation to live long enough to make sure Mick wouldn't feel guilty for not saving her. She has to make sure he understood that he hadn't failed her, it wasn't his fault.

"Mick, It's okay. It's not your fault." she said weakly.

"Beth, try not to talk."

She recognized that voice. Josh. Didn't he get it? She had to make sure Mick wouldn't blame himself for her death.

"No," she protested. She wanted to say more but she couldn't seem to hold onto the words, they kept dribbling away like water. Odd.

"Beth!" That anguished voice was unmistakable. Mick! She had to tell him. She tried to speak but there was no breath left to form words.

"If you're going to do it, you better pry her away from the DA first." Josef? Why was he here? What was going on? Beth couldn't remember. The taste of blood choked her again.

_When shadowed paths converge_

_Then drift apart to see_

_Standing at the crossroads _

_Of who you're meant to be_

The world was a dark forest. There was a light somewhere up ahead but she couldn't pinpoint the exact location. Where was she? Who was she? She couldn't shake the nagging sensation that the question was important somehow. She stood for a moment waiting to see if a name would come to her.

"Help me!" as voice screamed in terror somewhere in the shadowed trees ahead.

She sighed, abandoning her search for a name for the moment, and strolled off in the direction of the voice, her gait unhurried.

_When you see a friend unlooked for_

_Reaching for a hand_

_Where one alone would falter_

_Two together stand_

She reached a small clearing in the trees, little more then a widening of the trail where the woman stood screaming for help.

"Hush," she commanded softly.

The woman stopped screaming and turned to regard her calmly. "Do you know me?"

"Of course," she replied. "We'd better hurry we don't want to keep them waiting any longer."

The woman nodded as if that made sense to her. "Has it been long?"

"Does it matter?" She countered. "Now is when we have to go."

The woman nodded again and they headed off down the path together.

_When you take that final step_

_And ignore that final warning_

_You awake again to find _

_The other side of morning_

Hand in hand they fell into white-hot nothing. Names and memories were burned back into their skin as they returned to the world, but, nothing seemed to be in quite the same pattern as before.

* * *

AN: so what do you think? Want to read more? 

Review please, feed back is love )


	2. The Usual Places

Title: The Other Side of Morning

Fandom: Moonlight

Genre: Romance/Drama

Rating: T to M

Pairings: Mick/Beth, Josef/Sarah

Spoilers: through 1X10 "Sleeping Beauty"

Summery: AU after 1X10. Beth heads to the bank not knowing she was about to walk into a hostage situation that would forever change her life.

Disclaimer: all I own is a stuffed unicorn…please don't sue and take my unicorn away…/sniffle/

AN: okay so now we get into the actual story with a bit more logical sequence of events...

* * *

Chapter 1: The Usual Places

"_Neither dead nor alive the hostage is suspended by an incalculable outcome. It is not his destiny that awaits him, nor his own death, but anonymous chance, which can only seem to him something absolutely arbitrary. He is in a state of radical emergency, of virtual extermination." --Jean Baudrillard._

Beth awoke from her dream with a start, skin tingling and lungs still straining for the air it couldn't find in her dream. She ran a shaky hand through her hair as she tried to reacquaint her brain with the present. It's had been fifth time in as many days that Beth had awoken gasping for breath from that dream. She couldn't remember the specifics upon awaking, the details kept slipping away, but it always left her with a sense of foreboding. Beth shook her head, resolving to put the dream from her mind and began mentally going over the list she needed to do today.

First off she needed to go to the bank and then she was supposed to meet Josh for a late lunch to have that "talk" she'd been avoiding since New York, then after that she was meeting Mick; he'd asked for her help on a case he was working. Surprisingly things were still good between them even after her stabbing of his ex-wife and leaving him high and dry in New York. That one still caused a twinge of guilt…and fear. The dreams had started after New York, and Beth was certain that the sight of Sarah lying comatose in that bed was the cause.

Sighing, Beth climbed out of bed and set about getting ready for the day. She ran a brush through her untidy hair and was startled by how haggard she looked; a tired set to her mouth and dark circles around her eyes that make-up couldn't quite conceal. The dreams were taking more of a toll on her then she cared to admit. She pushed the dreams away firmly. They were just dreams, nothing more, it wasn't anything a little Tylenol PM couldn't take care of. She grabbed her keys and headed out the door of her apartment with no inkling of what would happen in just a few short hours.

There was a surprising amount of people in the bank for a Thursday morning, Beth noted as she moved to stand in the back of the line. In front of her stood a twitchy looking man who kept fidgeting with something in his pocket. Ahead of him was a plump smiling mother with a toddler on one hip and her free hand resting on the shoulder of her older boy. Next were a young couple who bickered good-naturedly about something much to the annoyance of the older businessman in front of them. He looked appalled to even have to stand in the same line as them although he didn't seem to mind the leggy brunette in the short skirt in front of him.

As a reporter Beth was constantly observing people. She was conditioned to notice things about them that weren't always obvious to the casual observer but even she couldn't place the strange sense of déjà vu that came over her as the three men entered the bank. While there was nothing remarkable about them physically the heavy coats looked far too hot for the mild Los Angeles weather. Something was off about them and Beth felt a warning deep inside her telling her she should get out of the bank. _Now_.

She never got the chance.

The tallest of the three pulled out a gun and fired three shots into the ceiling in rapid succession while his companions disarmed the two security guards.

"Everyone down on the ground! Do as we say and no one gets hurt."

Beth lay flat on the ground with the others as the two finished tying up the guards. They moved to cover the floor, guns trained on the patrons, as the leader advanced on the sole teller.

"I want you to start filling up the bags with money," the leader told the terrified teller, his voice calm and controlled.

The sound chilled Beth to the bone, she knew instantly that this man would have no trouble killing if it came to that and the hard look in the eyes of the other two said the same for them. She pressed herself more closely to the floor, determined not to dray attention to herself. Unfortunately her ringing phone destroyed that ambition. Beth found two guns trained on her as the nearest robber moved closer to her.

"Take out your phone," he ordered harshly.

Beth fumbled in her pocket as she complied. She slid it across the floor to the robber trying not to feel like she had let go of her only life line; she had seen the caller ID. It was Mick. A well aimed shot had Beth covering her head as cell phone parts went skidding across the floor in every direction. Somewhere to her right the toddler began crying.

"I want all the cell phones! Now!" the one who had shot her phone barked.

There were more skittering sounds as the others handed over their phones. Beth felt the beginnings of real fear creeping up her spine.

The leader was gesturing angrily at the teller who had frozen at the sound of the last gun shot. She quickly resumed filling the canvas bags with money as tears trickled down her cheeks. There was a sound in the distance, growing louder with every second. It was the sound of sirens. Apparently the teller had pressed a silent alarm.

"The police," one of the young couple whispered, sounding hopeful.

Beth felt her heart sink. She knew from experience that the arrival of the police often only made the situation much, much worse. Trapped, the robbers would become desperate and Beth was certain that people would die.

* * *

Mick stared at the phone in his hand as the line cut directly to voicemail mid-ring. Concerned, he tried again. It went straight to voicemail. He had a bad feeling, so he tried her apartment with no success. Beth had said she was stopping by the bank before work and then would be by after her lunch with Josh at 2:00. Mick checked his watch; it was 10:30. She should be at work by now, so he dialed Buzzwire and got Maureen. He asked if she had seen Beth.

"No," Beth's boss replied, "but if you see her tell her there's a hostage situation at First National Bank downtown, and that she better get her ass down there. I already sent Steve."

Mick felt his heart plummet at the words. First National, Beth's bank, the bank she had been planning on going to before work. He was half way to his car before conscious thought caught up with him. What did he plan on doing? Barging in on the robbers? That would only get people shot. Regardless, he had to go; Beth was in trouble and he had to be there. His phone buzzed again and Mick answered it with out looking, hoping against hope it was Beth.

It was Josef.

"Not now," Mick said before his friend got half way through his greeting.

"Did I interrupt something?" Josef sounded more amused then taken aback by Mick's tone. He was far too use to Grumpy Mick.

"Beth's in trouble, Josef. I have to go." Mick said shortly.

"What did she get herself into now?" Josef asked. Really, that reporter got herself into the most absurd situations.

"She's at the bank," Mick explained then hung up. He punched down the accelerator.

The scene was flooded with cops, reporters and all those people drawn to such scenes by morbid fascination with disaster. Mick couldn't get close but he spotted Josh talking with the assembled SWAT team and the hostage negotiator. He turned to one of the beat cops who were in charge of keeping the crowd back and flashed his credentials.

"I need to speak with Josh Lindsey," Mick said firmly. "I have information that may be important."

The beat cop eyed him dubiously.

"Just tell him Mick St. John has some information for him," Mick repeated. "I'll wait right here."

The cop nodded stiffly, not liking being ordered around by a PI but obviously not wanting it on his head if the DA's office was denied information. Mick didn't mean to run roughshod over the man but now wasn't the time to soothe egos. The cop headed over to Josh with a terse order for Mick to remain where he was. Josh looked over at Mick and his face darkened. Mick was well aware that he was far from Josh's favorite person at the moment, but Josh made his way over with the grumpy beat cop hard on his heels.

"What is it Mick?" Josh half-snapped when he reached him.

"Beth's one of the hostages." Mick replied shortly.

Josh's expression changed from dislike to shock. "Are you sure?" He asked tensely.

Mick nodded as Josh motioned him inside the perimeter. "She said she was going to the bank before work. She's not at home, not answering her cell, and she never made it to work." He explained as he followed Josh over to where the hostage negotiator was standing.

Josh turned to the balding man standing by the satellite phone set up. "Beth's in there, do whatever you have to, just get them out alive," he ordered.

The negotiated looked at Josh in surprise but didn't say anything. Mick closed his eyes. He could always tell when Beth was near now, could pick her heartbeat out from all the others ever since that motel in desert. He could hear it now, racing in terror, but very much alive. He breathed a sigh of relief. She was okay, but only for now. He opened his eyes to regard Josh.

"It doesn't look like anyone has been hurt, but so far no one has answered our calls," Josh was saying. "There looks to be at least two of them."

"Three," Mick replied. He couldn't see the hostages, they were most likely lying on the ground, but four upright figures were visible to him in the dark interior. "Two covering the floor and one by the teller."

Josh gave him a strange look but didn't comment. Mick understood the gesture; whatever issues they had with each other would be for another time. Right now they had one goal: get Beth out alive. It was a goal that would ultimately fail.

* * *

AN: Okay I just picked a random name for the bank, I use Bank of America but for some reason it sounds lame to say "I robbed Bank of America!" so I went with something else. Seriously if someone came up to me and said that I might laugh…it's like robbing Wal-Mart or something…I mean come on? How lame would that be? But I digress…

Ok so review if you liked it and want more …or just if you want to tell me I'm weird for my Bank of America rant…..or whatever…


	3. One Step Forward,Two Steps Back

Title: The Other Side of Morning

Fandom: Moonlight

Genre: Romance/Drama

Rating: T to M

Pairings: Mick/Beth, Josef/Sarah

Spoilers: through 1X10 "Sleeping Beauty"

Summery: AU after 1X10. Beth heads to the bank not knowing she was about to walk into a hostage situation that would forever change her life.

Disclaimer: all I own is a stuffed unicorn…please don't sue and take my unicorn away…/sniffle/

AN: hey lookie an update! thanks to all the reviewers and a special thanks to LoneTread for being my supercool Beta!

* * *

Chapter 2: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

"_There's a lot to be said for self-delusionment when it comes to matters of the heart."_

_--Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider _

It's odd what people think about when they're afraid they are about to die. It involves a lot of wishing they were anywhere else or waking up to find it was just a bad dream followed by reflections on all the things they wished they had done but never did for one reason or another. It was the latter stage Beth was in now, and she was surprised at how many of the wish-I-could-have-dones involved Mick. Okay, maybe not completely surprised, but there were certainly more than she expected and a lot less involving Josh. She was certain there was a revelation in that but she was too busy being terrified to examine it closely at the moment. The revelation could wait until later; right now, she was concentrating on the list of things she was going to do if she made it out of here alive. Lists were good. Lists were calming.

She could hear the muttered conversations of her captors, the wailing of the toddler, and the shrill ringing of the phone. Beth tried to block it all out. Somewhere in the back of her mind the stray thought that Mo would probably kill her for not getting as many details as possible flickered but Beth ignored it. All she could do was try to fight the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. Being held captive was bringing back the childhood terror of her kidnapping at Coraline's hands. _List, Beth, concentrate on the list._

1. Kiss Mick.

2. Fly to Hawaii.

3. Take swing dancing lessons.

4. Kiss Mick.

5. Travel though Europe.

6. Collect a rain check on that night in New York with Mick.

7. Break up with Josh.

8. Kiss Mick.

9. Get a dog….or maybe just a fish.

10. Kiss Mick.

Beth felt it was a pretty good list, all in all. Never again would she skip her New Year's resolutions, just as long as she got out of here. Her mind instinctively shied away form the alternative. She would get out of here. Mick wouldn't let her die in here and Beth held fast to that belief. It would be what got her through the grueling hours to come.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when one of the robbers finally answered the phone. They had cut the lights to prevent snipers from getting a clear shot, and with her face pressed into the cool marble of the floor Beth had no way to judge the passage of time. The cries of the frightened child broke Beth's heart but she was fairly certain that all it did to the robbers was irritate them and with the police outside there was already enough stress to set them off. It was the leader who answered the phone. He had stuck close to the teller -- and the money -- leaving his companions to watch over the rest of the hostages.

He picked up the receiver with a short jerky movement that betrayed his fraying temper. "Yes?" he snapped into the phone, sounding more irritated than Beth knew he wanted to.

"I want a car, and passports for three people. I want out of the country without being harassed by the police," he said after a pause during which whoever was on the other end had spoken. "Do it or we start killing hostages. You have one hour," and he hung up the phone.

"Shut that damn kid up!" he snapped to his companions.

Beth heard the mother trying to calm the crying little boy while the others tried to mute their own whimpers of fear. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on something calming. Mick would know something was wrong. Her would save her.

* * *

Mick felt the spike in Beth's heart rate as the negotiator turned to Josh and it was all he could do to keep from busting in there, secrecy and consequences be damned. He closed his eyes to steady himself as the negotiator relayed the robber's message to Josh.

"There's no way we can get all that in an hour," Josh said.

"I realize that but we have them talking now, so believe it or not this is a good sign," the negotiator replied.

"A good sign?" Mick countered. "They hung up on you." He was trying hard to remain reasonable but the sound of Beth's racing heart made that nearly impossible.

"He's right, Mick, you have them talking now," a new voice agreed.

Mick turned in shock to see Josef, impeccably dressed as always, walking up.

"How did you get in here?" Josh snapped, startled and confused.

"Does it matter?" Josef dismissed the question. "Money talks -- especially in these situations."

"That and you're poker buddies with the Director of the LA branch of the FBI," Mick added dryly. He was very surprised to see Josef here -- not that he didn't want his best friend's support, but Josef wasn't one to get his hands dirty for no reason and that made Mick uneasy.

Josef acknowledged his statement with a lazy smile. "Indeed. This being within the FBI's jurisdiction and all." That was his way of getting the fact that he wasn't leaving across.

Josh gave them both a sour look and the negotiator -- an agent himself -- eyed Josef speculatively.

"Just don't get in the way," Josh ordered tersely before picking up his own phone to see what demands could or could not be met.

Mick turned to his friend, eyebrow raised in expectation. "Why are you here, Josef?"

"Please, with an explanation like 'she's at the bank' you didn't think I'd be the least bit curious as to what had you all worked up?" Josef asked.

"You tell me," Mick stated blandly.

"I'm simply here to offer my support -- such as it is," Josef replied, sounding far too sincere.

Mick wasn't fooled in the least. There was something that Josef wasn't telling him, he could see it in the guarded and, dare he say it, almost sympathetic way Josef was looking at him. There was something the older vampire knew -- and it wasn't good.

Mick looked away angrily. "Right, Josef, when you're ready to actually be useful, let me know."

Josef smirked, unruffled. "Hmmm, someone's touchy," he remarked.

Mick ignored him, concentrating on the panicked beat of Beth's very alive heart to keep him steady, but he remained keenly aware of the all too serious eyes on his back, a seriousness that all Josef's bravado couldn't cover. Finally Josef broke the silence between them.

"What will you do, my friend, if she cannot be saved?" Josef asked, quiet enough that only Mick would pick up on it.

Mick whirled. "What?" he asked, sharply.

Josef eyed him steadily. "Sometimes you can't save everyone. Even you aren't Superman, despite whatever misguided sense of altruism you may have. So I ask you, what will you do if she can't be saved?"

"That's not an option, Josef!" Mick growled. "I will save her!"

Josef looked at him with pity in his eyes as his friend turned away from him again.

* * *

The phone had rung -- and been answered -- several times in the last few minutes. The conversations were brief but Beth got the gist of it. The negotiator wanted some of the hostages before they agreed to the demands. Beth was beginning to think past her own fear for now and she knew that the two children were not making things easier on any of them. She thought perhaps she could convince the robbers to let them go -- get rid of an annoyance on their end. The children would be safe and they could use it as a good-will gesture.

"Let the kids go," Beth said quietly, but clearly. Three guns swung in her direction and she had to fight back another wave of panic.

"What?" The leader finally moved away from the teller and stalked over to Beth, yanking her to her knees by her hair.

She let out a small yelp of shock and pain but spoke again. "Let the kids and their mom go, you don't need that many hostages."

"She's right, and that damn brat's annoying as all hell," one of the others snapped.

"Shut up!" the leader ordered. He leaned closer and Beth tried not to shrink away. "What's in it for me?" he asked.

"Like he said, you get rid of an annoyance and it will build good-will with the negotiator," Beth replied.

"Oh? And how would a girl like you know that?"

"I know a lot of cops," Beth hedged. She knew better than to give up too much personal information but the safety of those kids mattered more.

The leader eyed her for a moment more then shoved her back to the floor. Beth's chin struck the marble floor and spots danced in front of her eyes. Over the ringing in her ears she heard the leader giving instructions to the mother and the kids, telling them to pass another message along to the police. She laid there, stunned, and prayed that help would find the rest of them soon.

"Are you alright?" It was the twitchy young man who had been in front of Beth in line.

"I think so," Beth whispered back, still a little dazed.

"That was very brave of you," he replied.

She smiled weakly. "Stupid is probably closer to it."

"Do you really know a lot of cops?" the man asked.

"My boyfriend is a DA, and I know a lot of the LAPD officers," Beth replied.

"You really think they can get us out of here, then?"

"Someone will," she said, thinking of Mick. "I know it."

* * *

"Someone's coming out!" Mick said, spotting movement in the dark before the police could.

SWAT leveled their guns at the doors as they opened. A terrified-looking woman and her two kids stumbled out, hands up and blinking in the harsh glare of the sun.

"Don't shoot! They're hostages," Mick said before Josh could give the order.

A couple of SWAT agents moved forward and pulled the trio away while the others covered the movement. Josh sent an annoyed look Mick's way before taking charge of the three.

"Are any of you hurt?" Josh asked.

The woman shook her head, clutching her children tight to her sides. "He said to say that…" she choked back a hiccupping sob, "that we're a good-will gesture and if their demands aren't met in two hours the only way the others a-are coming out is on a g-gurney," and with that she broke down entirely.

A rookie agent came forward to take care of her.

"Find out how many are inside if you can," Josh instructed him. "We need as much information as possible."

Josef watched the scene dispassionately. He'd seen far worse before. His concern was for Mick. The younger vampire was pacing agitatedly, pausing only to close his eyes and get a better fix on what Josef assumed was Beth's heartbeat. He knew how terrified his friend really was, he could smell it, and he knew exactly the sort of internal struggle that was going on in Mick's mind. Despite his flat out assertions that he_was_ going to save Beth, Josef knew that he was contemplating the alternative.

Josef was aware that every fiber of Mick's being balked at the idea of Beth's death, but he also knew that the idea of Turning her was equally repulsive to him. He understood how Mick felt about the reporter; his every action betrayed the love for her that he refused to speak aloud. Josef knew what it was like to look into someone's eyes and be lost, to love someone so completely that the very thought of their death caused physical pain.

He had known that Mick would eventually be faced with the same choice he had been; Turn her or watch her wither and die while your soul died with her.

…And vampires are nothing if not survivors…

Mick glanced at Josef, who was watching him still. There was a haunted look in his eyes now, the look of some remembered wound that still ached deeply, and Mick was certain he was thinking of Sarah. Learning about her had certainly come as a shock but it had explained the unhappiness Josef had displayed about Beth far better than his worries about Beth spilling their secret did.

But Josef's presence here still did not add up. There was something the vampire was continuing to keep to himself. Mick didn't believe for a second that he had come down here simply to inform him of a possibility that he had already contemplated, and Mick was less than happy that Josef was refusing to come right out and say it. Unhappy, and on edge, because whatever it was, Mick was certain he wouldn't like hearing it.

Another sharp elevation in Beth's heart rate had him turning back to the bank in an instant, trying to see what had caused it, but so far no one seemed to have moved. He took a half-step toward the entrance only to have Josef's hand clamp firmly down on his shoulder.

"Don't," the older vampire warned him softly.

Mick shook him off angrily. "Don't try and give me orders, Josef! I'm not one of your lackeys."

Josef was unimpressed. "No, but you're letting emotion cloud your judgment and that won't help you or Beth."

"What aren't you telling me, Josef?"

"Nothing." They both knew Josef was lying and Mick turned away in disgust.

"Leave me alone," he said, moving away from his friend.

Josef watched him sadly. Mick didn't want to know why he had come. Josef had glimpsed the future -- he was one of the few who could -- and all he had seen was death. Beth would not leave the bank alive no matter what Mick did.

"You don't want to know," Josef said finally.

Mick turned back with a pained look. He knew he didn't want to know, but he had to hear it anyway. "Please, just tell me, Josef."

Josef glanced around to make sure Josh and the others were busy before turning back to Mick. "She won't make it out of there alive. I Saw it." There was no way to blunt the words.

Mick's jaw tightened. "You could be wrong. All you see is possible futures."

Josef shook his head. "It doesn't work that way. I see possible futures, yes, several at once, and all of them -- every one, Mick -- end in her death.

"I can't lose her Josef," Mick said desperately. His eyes begged Josef to help him.

"Her death is inevitable," Josef said, more gently than most would believe him capable of, "but it doesn't have to be permanent."

Mick recoiled in horror. "NO! No, I won't do that to her, Josef! I won't Turn her."

"Then she dies," Josef said more harshly than he wanted to.

Mick shook his head. "There has to be another way."

Josef just watched him silently. There wasn't -- they both knew it. All he could do now was hope that Mick's love for Beth, and a vampire's instinct to avoid pain, would win out over his own self-loathing. For Mick's sake, for Beth's sake, and for his own; Josef wasn't really in the market for a new best friend.

* * *

AN: okay so that's chapter 2. Feedback?

/whimpers/ don't hurt me! I know I'm being awful, but things will get better…eventually…maybe…


	4. Endgame

Title: The Other Side of Morning

Fandom: Moonlight

Genre: Romance/Drama

Rating: T to M

Pairings: Mick/Beth, Josef/Sarah

Spoilers: through 1X10 "Sleeping Beauty"

Summary: AU after 1X10. Beth heads to the bank not knowing she was about to walk into a hostage situation that would forever change her life.

Disclaimer: all I own is a stuffed unicorn…please don't sue and take my unicorn away…/sniffle/

AN: ok a bit of a violence and gore warning here...

* * *

Chapter 3: Endgame

"_When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice." -- Marquis de la Grange_

Daylight edged into dusk and the deadline ticked nearer with every heartbeat. Beth watched as the leader paced back and forth, hand locked in a death-grip around the hilt of his gun. It was stifling hot inside now; the police had cut the air-conditioning hours ago and Beth felt the sweat slide down her forehead to intermingle with the tears on her cheeks. The air felt heavy and it was an effort just to keep breathing.

Beth had spent the majority of her adult life around cops, knew all about the tactics they used to put suspects on edge and force their hand. They had seemed logical enough at the time, but she had never before realized them from the hostages' perspective. While it surely made the robbers uncomfortable, it was making it worse for the hostages too.

"That's it!" the leader announced suddenly. "Time's up. We have to show them we're serious."

The next few moments passed in utter horror. Beth could only watch as the leader leveled his gun at the brunette woman who had been closest to the teller and fired. Beth closed her eyes tightly and whimpered, the air too muggy to sob.

The phone began ringing immediately and the leader answered it with a harsh laugh.

"For every half-hour more you delay, another hostage dies. Their deaths are on your hands." And he hung up.

Beth tried to press herself closer to the floor and took a few gasping breaths. Panic had once again seized her and she continued to choke back silent sobs. She could hear someone whispering "oh God, oh God," over and over again. The fervent prayers intermingled with the sounds of muted crying and gasps of fear.

_Mick! Where are you?_ Beth thought desperately, her own secondhand kind of prayer.

* * *

Everyone froze for an instant when the sound of the shot rang out from inside. Josh looked sick as the startled negotiator frantically dialed in. Mick lost Beth's heartbeat for a panicked second before he picked it back up, beating double-time, and let out a relieved breath.

"Do we know who was shot?" Josh was demanding of the negotiator.

Mutely the man shook his head.

"It's not Beth," Mick said quietly.

Josh turned to face him. "You can't know that," he said, worry clear on his face.

Mick just looked at him. "She's still alive for now, Josh, but you have to get them out of there."

"The attorney general won't agree to their demands," Josh said desperately. He turned to face the SWAT leader. "Get your men ready. We go in in twenty minutes."

"Sir, we can't guarantee the hostages' safety," the SWAT agent protested.

"The hostages aren't safe anyway. Twenty minutes." Josh was firm.

Josef ignored the agents around him, focusing on Mick. The first shot hadn't been Beth, that was abundantly clear. If it had been, Mick wouldn't still be outside pacing like a caged animal. Things were going to get dicey from here on out. Josef was fairly certain he could get Mick to see reason in regards to Turning Beth, but he wasn't sure if he would have enough_time_ to do so.

"Josef," Mick motioned for his friend to follow him a few steps away from Josh and the others.

Josef quirked an eyebrow and waited for Mick to continue.

"Are you certain? Are you sure there is no way to get Beth out alive?" Mick asked slowly.

Josef resisted the urge to look triumphant. "I'm sure. The glimpses I get of the future are confusing, but never wrong," he said instead.

"How do you expect me to Turn her if we can't _get_ to her?" Mick asked.

"So you are going to Turn her?"

"I never said that!" Mick snapped.

"It was implied," Josef dismissed the protest. "Go in with the SWAT team."

"You expect me to risk her like that? Turnings can go wrong under the best of circumstances -- look what happened to Sarah," Mick said.

Josef's eyes narrowed. "She's going to die, Mick. A Turning, even in these conditions, would give her a fighting chance." _Give you _both _fighting chance._ He knew better then to say that aloud, though.

Mick looked away. "We'll see," he said finally.

Josef just nodded. Mick had picked a good time for once to get over himself.

Mick held onto the panicked beat of Beth's heart like a lifeline, as if it were his own heart in peril of stopping. He loved Beth, there was no denying the fact, and it would kill him to lose her, but could he really Turn her? He would be no better then Coraline. Another skip in the beat froze him again. If it came to it, if she couldn't be saved, he would do it.

* * *

The inside of the bank was deathly quiet now, every small movement amplified by the heavy air. Beth was trying to breathe shallowly, in and out through her mouth as she lay as still as possible on the floor. The scent of blood hung in air and the knowledge that someone lay dead not ten feet from her was sickening. Help wasn't coming, that was becoming clear. If there was something that anyone could have done, they would have by now. Terror had dulled to a sense of numbing hopelessness. Beth would have liked to say she remained brave, that she hadn't given up hope, but how could she when every second brought her closer to the chance of death?

The heavy thud of boot heels alerted Beth to the approach of one of her captors. She held her breath and closed her eyes, trying to remain immobile. The footfalls paused by her head for a moment before continuing on. She let out a soft breath. She didn't want to die, she _couldn't_ die. Not now. There were too many things she needed to take care of, fences to mend, and changes that needed to happen concerning a certain undead PI.

Click.

Beth froze.

She knew that sound. She wished she didn't, but it was unmistakable and she could feel the cold, merciless eyes staring down at her. Survival instincts erased any shred of reason and Beth pushed herself up, making a dash for the door. The surprise move startled the robbers for only a handful of seconds.

Agony in her chest and leg crippled her after only three steps.

Her vision whited out for a few moments and Beth was only dimly aware of the startled curses of the robbers and the sound of more gunfire ripping through the air.

She tried to take a breath only to find herself drowning in blood and too-heavy air. She coughed, trying to expel the liquid only to have the coppery taste of blood and bile sear her tongue. She knew she needed air, her vision was spotty and dim, and she tried to take another breath only to choke herself again.

"Beth! Oh God, Beth!" It was Mick. He had come too late.

He rolled her over and Beth tried to focus on his face but the world continued to blur and spin. _Save me!_ she thought desperately. She wasn't ready to slip into the dark. She wasn't ready to leave him behind. She tried to tell him that, tried to talk, but no words could be formed around the choking fluids that filled her lungs. She attempted to raise her hand, desperate to signal him somehow, but she couldn't feel her limbs anymore. She didn't know if she managed. Consciousness slipped away and the heavy taste of blood followed her into oblivion.

* * *

Mick had followed the SWAT team in before anyone could try to stop him. He could hear Josh's angry shouts behind him, but he trusted Josef to keep him off his back. He saw Beth's reckless rush towards the door. Watched in horror as she crumpled seconds before the SWAT agents moved in. Mick was at her side in an instant, oblivious to the bullets flying around him and the screams of the other hostages.

Beth was crumpled face-down on the floor, choking on her own blood as she tried to keep breathing. He rolled her over with a hoarse sob as her heartbeat grew erratic. Her eyes stared past him, moving wildly. She was dying, blood flowing fast from the wounds in her chest and leg. She choked harshly, as if she had tried to say something. Her eyes focused on him for a second and he could see the abject terror in them. Mick felt a spasm of pain -- a shared agony at the knowledge of her death. He felt a touch on his arm and watched as her hand dropped back heavily, the awareness in her eyes beginning to dim.

"No!" he cried, forcefully.

Brokenly.

She couldn't leave him. It was selfish. It was wrong. But he needed her. He couldn't lose her now.

With a feral-sounding growl Mick bit down on his wrist and brought the wound to her mouth. She wasn't conscious to swallow but Mick counted on the reflexive attempts to breathe to pull the blood into her system. The rest was up to her.

Gathering Beth's limp form into his arms, Mick took stock of his surroundings for the first time. The SWAT agents had cornered the robbers and four hostages in the back of the bank and no one had any attention to spare the PI and the bloodied woman in his arms. Spotting the stairwell, Mick moved towards it. No matter how distracting Josef thought he could be, no one was going to let him walk out there with Beth. Luckily, nothing in LA was built one-storied and it was with little difficulty that Mick got himself over to the roof of the neighboring building and down the fire escape into an alley. A dark car hurtled into the alley seconds later, and the passenger door flung open.

"Get in!" Josef growled, having guessed Mick's plan of escape. Mick hurled himself into the car as Josef sped off.

How they managed to get Beth into his apartment unseen, Mick would never know. He settled with Beth on his couch, unwilling to let her go. She was pale beneath the bloodstains, and still. So still. No breath. No heartbeat. Still.

Mick raised desperate eyes to his friend. "Why isn't she waking up?" he asked.

Josef tried to look calm. "It takes as long as it takes," he said firmly. There was no need to fear the worst. Yet.

Mick dropped his gaze back to Beth. Gently, he smoothed the blood-matted hair away from her face.

"C'mon, Beth, you can do this. You're strong enough to make it. I know you are," he whispered softly as he heard Josef move off into another room.

His tears ran unchecked as he rocked Beth back and forth, whispering every broken prayer he could think of. She was going to make it. She wouldn't end up like Sarah. She just wouldn't.

Minutes, maybe hours later, he heard Josef come back into the room.

"You are now flying to Europe. Then Australia," Josef announced.

Mick looked up, confused. "What?"

"As far as Josh is concerned anyway. He'll be looking for you but that's the only trail he'll find," Josef clarified.

"He's a DA, Josef. It won't be hard to look up my address," Mick pointed out.

Josef only grinned. "That's the funny thing about databases being online these days, information has a way of becoming -- misplaced."

Mick gave his best friend a grateful look. "Thank you."

Josef nodded dismissively. "You should get her cleaned up a bit. Waking up is going to be unpleasant enough."

"She will wake up." It was a statement, not a question.

Josef answered anyway. "No reason to think otherwise." _Yet,_ he amended silently.

Two days was the unofficial point-of-no-return. Beth had forty-eight hours.

* * *

AN: hides wow that turned out a wee bit gorier then I expected…

Still I don't imagine dying to be any sort of pleasant affair so if you were looking for a nice fluffy Turning you have the wrong fic. Being a vamp has perks, sure, but it's not an easy road in my mind…


	5. Halfway Between There and Here

Title: The Other Side of Morning

Fandom: Moonlight

Genre: Romance/Drama

Rating: T to M

Pairings: Mick/Beth, Josef/Sarah

Spoilers: through 1X10 "Sleeping Beauty"

Summery: AU after 1X10. Beth heads to the bank not knowing she was about to walk into a hostage situation that would forever change her life.

Disclaimer: all I own is a stuffed unicorn…please don't sue and take my unicorn away…/sniffle/

AN: hmmmm. next time I decide to do a long stretch of narration using pronouns alone please hurt me...it's hella hard to try and make it clear who's talking when to the reader...bad me! oh well, it was needed to convey the mood.

* * *

Chapter 4: Halfway Between There and Here

"_Life is pleasant, death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome." -- Isaac Asimov_

It was night. Not one of those star-filled country nights, but black, soulless night. No moon, nor light of any kind, could be seen and as such the world around her could not be distinguished from the sky. Black, featureless nothingness stretched around her in every direction.

She was not alarmed, merely confused.

She had been somewhere else before, that much she knew, but she could remember nothing more. It didn't seem terribly important; it was cool and comfortable in this dark place and she was content to remain here for a time. Reflexively she swallowed and was aware of a heavy taste in her mouth. Metallic was the word to describe it but _how_ she knew that was beyond her. She paused for a moment, using the metallic taste to slowly reconnect with her body, gradually moving outward until she was aware of all her limbs. She was lying down and she was sure that remaining prone wasn't going to get her anywhere. She tried to rise to her feet and felt her awareness move away from where she _knew_ her body remained. The strange sense of disconnection from a body that had always been hers frightened her and she moved back to huddle where her body was.

It took a while for her to gather up the courage to try again. This time she paid careful attention to where all her limbs were supposed to go. She moved, they didn't. That couldn't be good.

She was certain that thought and body were supposed to move together although she couldn't remember why. Well, they weren't moving together now. She was only aware of her body peripherally at the moment and that wasn't how it had been before. Tensely, she clung to that slight awareness for a while before she realized that it was doing no good. Her body didn't want her right now and she dimly began to perceive an unpleasant burning sensation that grew worse the longer she stayed.

Reluctantly, she decided to move away and realized that, while her awareness of her body faded, the awareness of the metallic taste in her mouth did not. She felt a prickle of relief at that. She could use that to come back when her body was ready for her. Feeling bolder now that she knew she could return, she let her awareness drift further and further away, slipping deeper into that inky blackness.

She didn't know how long she drifted until she became aware of another presence in the blackness. She couldn't see anything in the absence of light, but she could _feel_it.

'Hello?' she called out softly.

'Who's there?' echoed immediately back. The speaker was female.

'I am,' she replied.

'Oh,' there was a pause, 'where are you?'

'Here for now,' she answered. It wasn't helpful, she knew, but, really, what can one give a location to in blackness?

'I'm lost,' the voice confessed after a longer period of silence.

'I'm not, but I can only find my way back to me,' she explained. 'I'm not sure if I can help you find you.'

The other drifted closer. 'Can you try? I don't want to stay lost forever.'

She considered it. It seemed like something she would do, and she couldn't go back to herself yet, so she had time. It couldn't hurt.

'I suppose I can try. I can't go back to me yet anyway,' she agreed.

'Thank you!' The gratitude in the voice was obvious. 'None of the others I found ever would.'

'Were there many?' she asked as she and the other began to drift side by side.

'No, but you were the first to try,' the other replied.

'That's just rude!' she replied, feeling disgusted with the manners of people these days; she was sure it had been a problem where she was before. 'They must have had the same time I do. No one cares about anyone but themselves anymore.'

'Do you remember where you were before?' the other asked curiously.

She thought about it for a minute. 'No,' she said finally, 'but I want to go back eventually. I think someone's waiting for me.'

'I don't remember either,' the other replied. 'I think someone was waiting for me too. I don't know if they still are.'

'They are,' she asserted. She was somehow certain of that.

'You think so?' The other sounded so hopeful.

'I do,' she confirmed. 'Now, let's help you find you.'

* * *

"Mick, you need to eat something," Josef said as morning edged into afternoon.

Mutely, Mick shook his head. He was still sitting on the couch cradling Beth's unmoving form. They had cleaned the blood from her skin and hair as best as they could and stripped off her ruined clothes. She was now dressed in one of Mick's largest and softest shirts and the vampire held her to him as tightly as he dared.

"Mick, you have to eat, or you're going to be in no condition to do anything when she does wake up," Josef persisted.

"Alright," he said quietly, voice tinged with worry and pain. Mick was grateful that his friend continued to talk as if it was certain that Beth would wake up, even though the possibility that she wouldn't hung heavy between them.

He accepted the glass Josef gave him and drank it down without protest. The taste was familiar to him now, the only taste he could remember for the past fifty-five years, and he felt a stab of guilt that it would be the only taste Beth would remember now, too.

"Don't." Josef must have seen the guilt flicker across his face. "Don't start with that now. What's done is done. You need to be prepared to help Beth through this, and that little self-loathing thing you've got going isn't going to cut it."

"Josef, I can't -- " he started, but Josef cut him off.

"I'm well aware of the fact that you won't ever be fully accepting of what you are, but when Beth wakes up it's going to be your job to keep her together for the first few weeks and you can't do that if you're too busy with your personal pity party," Josef said firmly. "You can indulge in that later; for now, your focus is Beth."

Mick nodded; Josef was right. He needed to be strong for Beth. He looked down at the woman in his arms. She looked peaceful. Gently, he kissed her forehead. "C'mon Beth, we're waiting for you."

Satisfied that Mick's self-crisis was averted for now, Josef moved back into the kitchen to pour himself a drink. He was certain that he could keep Mick from doing something idiotic as long as he kept him focused on Beth. It wasn't that hard. Mick had looked after the girl for twenty-two years and the behavior was practically hard-wired into him now. As long as Beth's needs remained his first priority, Mick wouldn't wander down that "poor me" road.

Josef sipped at the cold blood with little enthusiasm. For one thing, it tasted awful and the fact that it was cold didn't help, and for another, he had about as much appetite as Mick did at the moment.

The little reporter was irritatingly endearing and she made Mick a hell of a lot easier to be around sometimes so Josef didn't particularly like the thought of losing her either. He closed his eyes trying to see _ahead_ but got nothing. Looking into the future was disturbingly unreliable, seeming to work any time except when you wanted it to. He didn't try that often, anyway, since it was unhelpful at the best of times, even when it did work, and gave him quite the headache.

Yesterday had been one of those rare times when the events had been determined enough that Josef hadn't been overwhelmed with thousands of possibilities. Her death had been certain in all the scenarios that had played out in his head -- well, in all but one. Josef winced inwardly at the thought. He hadn't been about to let that scene happen, so he had kept that possible future to himself. Call him selfish, but he wasn't about to trade his best friend's life for Beth's, no matter how endearing she'd become.

But Mick could never find out about that. His views on that scenario would have been very clear. Some secrets Josef knew better than to ever tell.

* * *

'Do you have that taste in your mouth?' she asked her new companion.

'Yes. I like it, I want to find more,' the other replied.

She rolled the taste around again and had to agree that she was indeed becoming used to it, though she was sure she never would have liked it before. 'Well, if you can taste it, you have a mouth, and if you have a mouth you have to have a body,' she pointed out.

There was silence for a long while. 'It's very far away but I can feel it!' the other said excitedly.

'Do you think you can figure out the way back now?' she asked, feeling happy at the thought of her companion's enthusiasm.

'Yes! I'm certain of it. Oh, thank you.' The other moved closer for a moment in a strange sort of thought-hug.

She returned the unusual embrace without hesitation. 'You're welcome. You better get going though, I think you've been gone long enough.'

'What about you?' the other asked, obviously distressed at the thought of leaving her here alone.

'I'll follow in a little while, but I don't think it's quite time for me to go back yet,' she replied soothingly, although she wasn't keen on being alone again either.

The other drifted away again. 'I'll see you on the other side, right?'

'I'm sure of it; we met for a reason, don't you think?' she agreed.

'Oh, definitely! Goodbye for now, then.'

'Bye,' she replied softly, even though the other's presence had already faded.

She drifted in the blackness alone again, letting thoughts and emotions wash over her in no particular pattern. It was getting uncomfortably warm around her now, the pleasant coolness disappearing the longer she remained. She decided that maybe it was her cue to return to her own body now.

Piece by painstaking piece, she pulled her awareness back into her own body. How long it took, she couldn't be sure, but she was at last aware of her own skin again. Cautiously, she curled her fingers and was satisfied when thought moved with flesh.

* * *

When night fell for the first time, Mick became anxious, his jaw clenching and unclenching in a futile effort to relieve tension since pacing was out of the question. When dusk approached for the second time, anxiety was abandoned for heart-wrenching fear and loss. Had he been too late? Or had this Turning gone as wrong as Sarah's had?

Desperately, Mick whispered pleas into Beth's skin as tears slid down his cheeks unnoticed.

Josef watched as Mick brokenly called to Beth as the sun dipped below the Los Angeles skyline for the second time since bringing Beth to the apartment. As much as he didn't want to, it was time to accept that Beth wasn't going to wake up.

Just like Sarah.

Josef forcefully pulled his mind away from that still-painful memory. He had given her two days -- then four, then six, but she had never woken. Neither, it seemed, would Beth. Apparently the universe had other plans for Mick and him. Josef closed his eyes and began to think of a way to tell his best friend that the woman he loved was gone.

Mick almost missed it the first time, nothing more then a slight twitch of the tips of her fingers. He froze. The next time was more pronounced and he watched as her right hand curled into a loose fist.

"Beth?" he whispered hoarsely.

She wrinkled her nose and slowly opened her eyes.

* * *

AN: well so there's a bit of a lay off on the dramatic tension….And yay, I introduced Sarah!

Please tell me what you think, it was my own interpretation of the transition and I hope you liked it……


	6. Shadow's Dawn

Title: The Other Side of Morning

Fandom: Moonlight

Genre: Romance/Drama

Rating: T to M

Pairings: Mick/Beth, Josef/Sarah

Spoilers: through 1X10 "Sleeping Beauty"

Summery: AU after 1X10. Beth heads to the bank not knowing she was about to walk into a hostage situation that would forever change her life.

Disclaimer: all I own is a stuffed unicorn…please don't sue and take my unicorn away…/sniffle/

AN: Sorry, sorry, sorry for the late update! I got pulled away on a spur-of-the-moment road trip and school kept me busy until now! hope you accept my humble offering of an update!

* * *

Chapter 5: Shadow's Dawn

"_Love isn't a decision. It's a feeling. If we could decide who we love it would be much simpler, but much less magical." --Matt Stone and Trey Parker_

The first thing Beth was aware of was a deep, masculine scent. It was familiar to her and somehow connected to the tang of metal that followed her into wakefulness. She wrinkled her nose and inhaled again, letting a barrage of smells her brain couldn't start to process assault her senses. Startled and slightly pained, she opened her eyes.

Mick's tear-streaked face filled her vision. Immediately the panic that had been creeping up abated and Beth smiled. Mick – she was safe, she had made it. Or, judging by the heightened smells and sounds, he had made sure she made it. She didn't know how long she'd been out. An hour? More? Mick looked too worried and haggard for it to have been any less.

"Sorry," she whispered, her voice perfectly clear even in the barest breath of sound she gave it.

Mick frowned. "Sorry for what?" His voice was also kept purposefully soft.

"I didn't mean to go away like that," she replied, trying to sort through her most recent memories for some semblance of order.

Mick gave her a pained smile as he gently ran a finger down her cheek. "You're here now."

She nodded carefully, every sensation of movement magnified. It wasn't painful so much as unnerving, but it was easier to keep the movements small. She licked at her lips slightly, careful not to catch her tongue on the elongated canines, and focused on the powerful hunger that was beginning to override every other sensation.

"Hungry," she whimpered. She knew what she was hungry _for_ but she wasn't sure she was ready to say it out loud. There was still a remembered ick-factor to the idea.

"Here," Josef's voice caused her to turn her head sharply. The movement was a lot faster then she expected and she tensed in surprise. That would take some getting used to.

Mick gently shifted Beth into a sitting position in his arms before accepting the glass Josef had brought over. He raised it to her lips in silent encouragement.

Beth reached up to cup the glass as well, her fingers resting on Mick's, and drank. The blood was cold and thick and she could taste the bitter undercurrents of the anti-coagulants under the spicy metallic tang but she was too thirsty to care. She drained the first glass in short order and five more in quick succession after.

Her hunger had abated enough that she didn't protest when Mick told her "No more."

She shifted off of Mick's lap onto the couch cushion next to him before curling into his shoulder and trying to organize her thoughts.

"So what happens now?" she asked, looking between Mick and Josef.

"Now you learn to be a vampire," Josef replied, amusement and relief breaking through the stoic expression. "You gave us quite a scare."

Beth's brow furrowed. "How long was I…?"

"Two days; it's Saturday night," Mick answered quietly. "I thought I'd lost you."

Beth tried to reconcile the time-gap in her mind and wondered at the agony Mick must have gone through, never sure if she was going to wake up. "You can't get rid of me that easily, Mick St. John," Beth said confidently, coaxing another pained-looking smile from Mick.

"I guess not," he replied. Then his look turned serious. "Beth, about what happened…"

"I've been declared dead, haven't I?" she stated bluntly.

Josef snorted. "The official statement is 'missing' but I believe the DA's office is under that impression, yes," he said pointedly.

"Josh," Beth sighed, her boyfriend entering her thoughts for the first time. "I was supposed to meet him for lunch," she remembered.

"Beth, I'm so sorry," Mick's guilt was achingly clear. Time to deal with that.

Beth shook her head. "I'm not," she said firmly. "Although it is going to make a difficult conversation I was going to have with him even more awkward."

Mick looked confused. Beth smiled and touched his face, only dimly aware of Josef quietly moving off.

"I was going to break up with him. I didn't love him anymore," Beth explained. "I'm in love with someone else." Her gaze on Mick was steady and pointed.

Mick swallowed but found he was unable to get any words out. Beth was awake and Beth was looking at him with more love in her eyes then he would ever feel he deserved. He licked at lips gone dry.

"Beth, I…." He swallowed again around the lump in his throat. "God, Beth, I love you," he whispered fervently, gathering her back into his arms. "Don't ever leave me."

Beth buried her face in his shoulder. "Not ever," she promised. "You have me for good."

Mick gently pulled her back enough to get a good look at her face. "It's going to be rough for a while, Beth, but I promise you I'll be there every step of the way."

Beth nodded. "I never doubted it." Her expression turned stern. "Now kiss me already," she ordered.

"Pushy," Mick grinned before pressing his lips to hers.

Like every other sensation now, Beth could feel the contact in every fiber of her being. Mick's lips were salty with tears he hadn't cared enough to wipe away. Every soft brush sent hot shivers down to the soles of her feet. The kiss was tame and chaste compared to others she'd had but never before had a kiss conveyed such a sense of complete love and devotion, and when Mick pulled back Beth was trembling in his arms.

The moment was broken by the shrill ringing of Josef's cell phone. Beth winced slightly at the sharp noise. The older vampire, who had moved into the kitchen to give the two some semblance of privacy, pulled the phone out with an extremely annoyed expression.

"What?" he snapped, his tone carrying a definite threat to whomever was on the other end.

Beth and Mick turned just in time to see anger immediately melt into shock.

"What?" The tone was now desperately quiet. "How long?"

Josef closed his eyes briefly. "Try and keep her calm, I'm on my way." He clicked the phone shut.

"Josef?" Mick asked hesitantly. His friend seemed frozen in place.

Josef turned to look at them with a shell-shocked expression. "I have to go to New York. Sarah's awake."

"What?" Mick blinked.

"That's wonderful, Josef!" Beth exclaimed, jumping up excitedly only to have to wait for her mind to catch up to the disturbingly fast movement and try not to over balance. Apparently moving like a normal person was a skill she was going to have to re-master.

"She's awake," Josef repeated bemusedly.

Beth smiled happily, but didn't try to move again. "Well, you'd better get going! She's going to want you there," Beth said gently.

Josef visibly shook himself. "Right. Mick, I'm sorry to run out like this…."

"Josef! Go. We'll be fine," Mick said firmly.

Josef nodded and moved rapidly towards the front of the apartment. The door shut behind him with a resounding click as the two people left struggled to process what had just happened.

"Well, today has been interesting – or tonight, I guess," Beth said finally as Mick moved to stand behind her.

"It certainly has," he replied.

Beth turned to face him, the movement jerky and awkward.

"I feel drugged," she complained. "I can't move right."

Mick smiled. "I know, but you'll adjust soon enough."

"Good. I don't want to look like I'm seizuring forever," Beth said, twining her arms around his neck.

Mick chuckled softly. "You don't, trust me."

"I trust you," she responded.

He was looking at her with something close to awe. "This all feels like a dream," he said, resting his hands on her waist.

Beth fought back a yawn. "I don't think you can feel sleepy in dreams," she pointed out.

"No, I suppose not," Mick agreed. "You need to rest."

"I feel too warm," Beth confided.

"I figured as much," Mick replied. "C'mon, let's get you to the freezer."

Beth giggled but let Mick guide her to the stairs. "Freezer. Do I get a bag of frozen peas as a pillow?"

Mick look amused. "You could if you really wanted to," he replied, "but it's not a food-type freezer."

Beth concentrated on getting up the stairs without trying to outrun herself. "So it's a Mick-type freezer?" she asked cheekily.

Mick laughed. "Right now, it's going to be a Beth-type freezer," he said as they reached the grey door upstairs.

Mick pushed it open and Beth followed him inside. She regarded the frosted glass skeptically.

"We won't both fit in that," she said.

Mick sighed. "No, I'm going to have to get a new one, but for now it will do for you."

Beth panicked slightly and clung to Mick. "Don't leave me alone," she begged, not at all comfortable with sleeping alone in a cold box.

Mick frowned. "I'll be right downstairs," he promised.

Beth bit her lip. "I don't want to be alone. Please."

Mick nodded and opened the lid. It really was too small for both of them. "I won't leave the room, how's that?" he asked.

Beth loosened her strangle-hold on his arm and nodded. Mick felt the damage from the bruising grip repair itself but knew better then to let Beth know she'd hurt him. Hesitantly she walked over to the freezer and climbed inside, sitting gingerly. The cold was instantly relaxing and Beth felt the exhaustion creep up on her.

"Arms up," Mick ordered softly.

Beth looked confused. "Huh?"

Mick smiled. "The shirt. Frozen clothes are not comfortable, believe me," he explained.

"Oh," Beth realized for the first time that she wasn't wearing anything except for one of Mick's baggy shirts.

Slowly she raised her arms. "You know, it's hardly fair that you get to see me naked and I don't get the same privilege," she remarked sleepily, far too tired to be shy or nervous.

Mick grinned and eased the shirt over her head, setting her blond curls in further disarray. "You'll have plenty of opportunities to see me naked when you're not half asleep," he replied, eyes lovingly sweeping her form.

"I'm going to hold you to that," she said, lying back until she was stretched out in the soothing cold of the freezer, Mick's gaze making her feel safe rather than embarrassed. How could she be when she could see the awe and love so clearly in his eyes?

"I know you will. Close your eyes," Mick said.

Beth tensed again. "Please don't leave."

Mick gently caressed her face. "I won't. I'll be right here when you wake up."

Beth relaxed and slowly closed her eyes, sleep claiming her instantly.

Mick waited a few moments before softly closing the lid and moving back to sit against the wall. Everything had changed, and Mick was well aware of how rough the next few weeks were going to be. He had hoped to lean on Josef's experience, but with Sarah awake, his friend would have his hands full. Mick knew in theory what to expect, of course, but theory and reality often differed, and he could only hope that he didn't screw up. Not when Beth was counting on him to keep her in one piece through this.

He closed his eyes, letting the cool interior of the room lull him into a light sleep, only to be awoken by Beth's terrified scream two hours later.

* * *

AN: I know, I'm a horrible person. But reviews would still be very much appreciated…. 


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